Malayamarutam

Malayamarutam is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a janya rāgam (derived scale), as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes). This scale is used in Hindustani music in recent years by instrumentalists.[1] This is a morning raga[1][2] and regularly used in programmes and functions of the mornings.

Structure and Lakshana

Malayamarutam scale with shadjam at C

Malayamarutam is a symmetric rāgam that does not contain madhyamam. It is a hexatonic scale (shadava-shadava rāgam[2] in Carnatic music classification). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

The notes used in this scale are shadjam, shuddha rishabham, antara gandharam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham and kaisiki nishadam. Malayamarutam is considered a janya rāgam of Chakravakam, the 16th Melakarta rāgam, though it can be derived from Ramapriya also, by dropping madhyamam.

Popular compositions

Malayamarutam is a pleasing scale, but has only a few compositions in classical music. It has been used to score film music as well. Here are some popular kritis composed in Malayamarutam.

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Scale similarities

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications